North Carolina head women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell announced the hiring of assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Bett Shelby on Tuesday. Shelby joins the Tar Heels from Maryland where she spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach and the Terrapins’ recruiting coordinator.
Shelby, a native of Charlotte, N.C., will be responsible for coordinating all aspects of recruiting and working with the guards. Shelby played a significant role in landing three outstanding classes for Maryland, in 2016, ’17 and ’18. The 2018 class was ranked No. 5 in the country by ESPN.
“On behalf of our entire women’s basketball staff, I’m so excited to have this opportunity to add a Carolina girl like Bett Shelby to our program,” said Hatchell. “She’s a gifted coach that will make us better on the court working with our guards and on the recruiting trails. Bett has been responsible for signing some of the top-rated classes in recent years and we look forward to continue welcoming elite student-athletes to this amazing university.”
Shelby also assisted in coaching Maryland’s 2015-16 and 2016-17 teams to back-to-back Big 10 regular season and conference tournament championships. She worked with the guards and assisted in scouting opponents. Shelby helped coach Maryland to a fifth place finish as they represented Team USA in the World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan in August 2018.
No stranger to Chapel Hill, Shelby’s parents, Brad and Texie Shelby are graduates of UNC. Her parents, and sister, Mary Shelby, all reside in the Queen City of Charlotte.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Naismith Hall of Fame head coach Sylvia Hatchell’s staff here at the University of North Carolina,” said Shelby. “This is one of the storied programs in all of women’s college basketball and one of the top public universities in the world. The University of North Carolina is an international brand that has produced countless successful alumni which makes this opportunity even more special and unique. I’m honored to mentor and coach our players and humbled to play a part in crafting the future of the program. I would like to thank Coach Hatchell for letting be a part of the Carolina basketball family, it is truly a privilege.”
Before her successful stop in College Park, Md., Shelby spent two seasons as the recruiting coordinator at fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Virginia Tech. In 2015, she signed a top-20 recruiting class for the Hokies.
Shelby came to Blacksburg after serving as an assistant coach at Seton Hall for two seasons where she coordinated aspects of recruiting, scouted opponents and coached the guards. In 2012, she helped sign a class ranked 33rd nationally by All Star Girls Report. The 2012-13 season saw the Pirates notch their most wins in a season since 2006-07.
Prior to Seton Hall, Shelby served on the staff at Southern Illinois where she landed a recruiting class ranked 37th nationally by ESPN. The class was also tabbed the No. 1 mid-major class that year by ESPN. The class included SIU’s first Parade All-American Top-100 ranked player and a top-100 transfer.
Shelby was an assistant coach at Tennessee Tech in 2010 and was responsible for an All-Star Girls Report Top-100 recruiting class, ranking No. 1 in the Ohio Valley Conference. Shelby also spent one season as the recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at Stetson University, helping recruit a Top-100 class according to All-Star Girls Report that ranked first in the Atlantic Sun Conference. That group graduated as the most decorated class in the history of the program, winning more games and making the most postseason appearances over any four-year span.
She spent two seasons as the Director of Basketball Operations at East Carolina. During her time at ECU, the Pirates won the Conference USA title and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 25 years.
Shelby played collegiately at UNC Wilmington during her first two seasons. She spent her junior and senior seasons at Greensboro College where she served as team captain. The team won the USA South regular-season and conference titles during her time. As a senior year, the team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 22-8 record.
She graduated from Greensboro College with her bachelor’s degree in sports and exercise studies with a concentration in coaching in 2006.
Shelby replaces Tracey Williams-Johnson, who retires from Carolina after over 20 years of service to the Tar Heel women’s basketball program.
Photo Courtesy UNC Athletics
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